Cry Baby
by snugglebaby216
Summary: I was pretty much left alone at school. I wasn't really like the rest of the house. Draco saw that, even though it took a while.
1. Chapter 1

_hello! this is my first time publishing on this site, not my first fanfic by a longshot :] review me so i know how ya'll like it! _

**Cry Baby**

**Chapter 1**

He was always my favorite. Everyone made a big deal about Harry Potter coming to school. I didn't. I could care less. I was more interested in someone else. I don't think he sees me, though. I'm a no one. I'm in his house, sure, but I didn't do anything extraordinary. I didn't look extraordinary. I mostly kept to myself. I'm not really like the other girls in Slytherin. I only got into the house because my whole family was in it. They expected me to be in Slytherin, so that's what I was placed in. It's hard sometimes, though. I don't really have any friends. There are a few girls my age, but I'm nothing like them. They get around quite a bit and receive a lot of attention from guys. Not me. I've never been with anyone before. It's not that I don't want to; I just haven't had a chance. There's one particular person I wanted to save it for. He never saw me, and I never thought it would happen. But dreams can come true. Every once in a while anyway.

It was in our sixth year that he finally noticed me. I was up late in the common room, doing nothing of course. He came in and sat down on the leather sofa in the middle of the room. He hadn't seen me, so I watched him a little. He looked a mess. His tie was crooked and messy, his shirt was wrinkled and untucked, his normally clean, black trousers were dusty and dingy. I wondered what happened to him. The firelight shone on his white blonde hair, which was sticking in every direction. His normally calm blue eyes looked on the verge of tears. Draco Malfoy ran a hand through his messy hair and leaned back into the sofa. I could hear him mumbling to himself. He yelled in frustration and grabbed one of the little leather pillows from the sofa and threw it across the room, standing up as he did so. He began to pace around, staring at his shoes. He grabbed at his hair again and looked around the room. I wasn't sure what to do. I wanted to get up and leave, but I didn't want to disturb Draco from his thoughts. Before I could make up my mind Draco saw me. He looked straight into my eyes and wanted to glare, but he couldn't. I could tell he was too upset to bring himself to do anything. Instead, he sat back down and cried. Draco let his head fall into his hands and sobbed.

I didn't know what to do. I had never seen Draco this upset before. I stood up and went to sit by Draco on the sofa. I sat down and he seemed to cry harder. I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Get off me," Draco hissed at me. I pulled my hand back.

"I'm not judging you. I'm not asking questions," I told him. "I've never seen you like this, and I… I'm worried. I know I don't know you well, but wouldn't that make it better? I won't know what you're upset about." I placed my hand on his shoulder again. He cried and leaned into me. I cautiously slid my arms around his shoulders.

I couldn't believe it. Draco Malfoy… In my arms… I had dreamed of this, but never in this fashion. I always imagined he and I in a love embrace. I felt him shake and sob against me. I didn't know what to do, or say. So I just let him cry. I let my hands run down his back a little. Draco moved closer into my arms and cried into my shoulder.

"I… can't… do it… anymore!" Draco cried between sobs. I rubbed his back again. "Dark… cabinet… eaters… fix… can't…" was all I could really hear. I wasn't sure what to make of it. He started to pull back. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have… let myself go." He got up to leave. He turned back to look at me. "Please, don't tell anyone about this." He seemed to be pleading with me.

"Draco, I wouldn't do that to you." I looked into his light blue eyes. There was desperation and sadness written everywhere in them. "I understand what it's like to feel alone. You don't have to feel like that. If you ever need anything, anything, just let me know. You shouldn't have to go through… whatever it is you're going through… without someone to talk to. And trust me when I say I'm not going to be judging you. I've got enough in my past to know when someone really needs help." I tried to smile weakly. I reached out carefully and touched his hand. "Don't be afraid to let your feelings out. If you ever need anyone, really, I'm here." Draco nodded and turned toward the boy's dormitory.

"Thank you," he whispered, then walked away.

The next morning at breakfast I saw Draco. He looked awful. His skin was unusually pale and his hair wasn't as neat as it usually was. He slowly ate a piece of toast as Pansy and Blaise talked around him. I felt bad for Draco; he had friends that didn't even care that he wasn't himself. I sat down a few seats away from them and poured myself a cup of coffee. Before I could even add the cream and sugar I felt someone looking at me. I glanced down the table and saw Draco looking at me. Our eyes met for a second then I casually looked away. I buttered some toast and set it on my plate. I still felt someone looking at me, but I ignored it. I looked up to see Draco getting up from his seat. I looked back at my coffee and toast.

"I hope that you know not to talk to anyone about last night," whispered a voice in my ear. I knew it was Draco.

"I told you last night I wasn't going to be talking," I whispered back. I heard him straighten up and walk away. I watched him as he left the Great Hall. I wondered if he was going to ever talk to me again.

I finished breakfast and headed to Herbology. I knew I would have to stand near Draco, but I didn't know how he would react. Pansy and I were partners, and she always wanted to sit next to him.

I entered the greenhouse to find Pansy missing. There were only a few seats left, mostly on the Hufflepuff side. There was one next to Draco, and one at the very front of the room. I chose to sit next to the boy who cried himself out last night. He noticed me as I sat down, but didn't say anything. We were taking the venom from Venomous Tentacula today. We collected our vials from the front of the room and Professor Sprout gave us directions. Because I had no partner for the day, I was going to be working alone.

"Have you seen Pansy today?" I asked Draco as he got back to his spot at the table. He smirked.

"She's in the hospital wing," he told me. "She thinks she's pregnant, again." Blaise laughed.

"You'd think she'd learn how to use a condom by now!" Blaise laughed. "With the amount of people she's been with, it's a miracle that she hasn't gotten pregnant before." Draco nodded. I sighed. Pansy was always worrying she was pregnant. She slept around so much and didn't bother with any protection. She really was a slut.

It took several tries, but I finally managed to fill a vial of Tentacula venom. I knew once I had completed that I was finished for the day. I checked my watch to see that I had another hour before my next class. I was done a lot faster than I thought I would be. Once I returned the full vial, I headed out to walk around in the grounds. It was sunny and warm considering it was October. It hadn't snowed quite yet. I loved walking the grounds alone. It was relaxing. It helped me to think through things. Like why Draco was crying all over me the previous night.

I hadn't the slightest clue as to why Draco was crying. I didn't even know what he was talking about. I wanted to know why he cried and what was bothering him to the point of tears, but I said I wouldn't ask, so I could only speculate. I walked down by the lake, near the trees and small bushes. I leaned against a tree and watched as the small breeze caused little ripples all across the lake.

I didn't notice until he was next to me. Draco apparently had left class early.

"Hey," I said. He didn't say anything, but I knew he heard me.

"I suppose I owe you an explanation for last night," Draco said after a minute of silence.

"If you don't want to tell me you don't have to." Draco looked at me with questions in his eyes, but pushed it away.

"You know, most other people wouldn't have done what you did last night."

"I'm not most other people." Draco smiled a little.

"I've noticed." We stood in silence for a few minutes. "Well, I mostly came to thank you. No one has ever been that kind to me when I was in that kind of state. I appreciate it more than you know," Draco told me. I looked into his cool blue eyes. He really meant it.

"Draco… Don't think of last night as a favor. It wasn't. If you feel like you can't hold those emotions in, you need to let them out. If you want to open up to me, you can. If crying helps you feel better, you can cry to me anytime you need." Draco just looked at me. He wasn't sure what to say. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. He looked at the lake and watched the small waves.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Draco asked. "I've hardly ever talked to you, I don't think I even know your last name. Why do you care?"

I didn't have an answer I wanted to give. I didn't want to tell him I fancied him, like he said, he didn't really know me. "I know how it feels to not have anywhere to go." I told him. "I hate it, and I can sympathize with you to an extent. I know what its like to be alone. I don't know what you're dealing with, but I know that when someone cries like you did, something hurts in a way that requires comforting from another person. I never had that. I've never had it and have wanted it so desperately. I need it just like you do. I don't want to see you implode from emotions, so really, if you ever need to talk, or anything, I'm here." Draco looked in my eyes, and I saw an expression I had never seen on his beautiful face. He looked relieved.

"Will you wait up for me tonight?" Draco asked after a few moments of being quiet.

I smiled a little, wondering if he wanted to cry to me again. "Yes." He nodded.

"Thank you."


	2. Chapter 2

_I went ahead and posted chapter 2 to try to getcha hooked ;] i think that i kinda based this OC on me. i do a lot of comforting random people that have either been mean to me in the past or that i have met maybe once or twice. my friends tell me im their mother :P_

**Chapter 2**

It was almost one in the morning before Draco came in. He looked just like he had the night before: messy, upset, and frustrated. I was standing by the mantle in front of the fireplace. I heard the dungeon door open and knew it was him. I wasn't sure if he wanted me to go to him, or if he just wanted to be on the sofa like the night before. So I stood there for a moment. I made my mind up and slowly walked toward him. He seemed to be fighting hard to keep back tears. I took one of his hands in one of mine and placed my other hand on his arm.

"It's okay, Draco. You can relax."

He seemed to fall apart. He tried to keep it quiet, but a sob escaped his lips and he began to cry. I hugged him around his waist and his arms folded over my shoulders. I laid my head on his chest a little and stroked his back. I didn't say anything to him. He just needed someone to care, someone to hold onto him. So I did just that. I held him. After several minutes he seemed to calm down and we moved over to the sofa. I put my back against one of the arms and Draco sat between my legs. He leaned into me as tears silently rolled down his cheeks. I massaged his shoulders and arms to help him relax. Draco stopped crying soon. I wondered if he was going to go up to bed. He didn't move. I started playing with his hair and pretty soon I knew he had fallen asleep. I let him sleep. It was a Friday night, so if we woke up late, it wouldn't matter. I could feel myself starting to feel sleep's call. It wasn't long before I was asleep with Draco on the sofa in the common room.

I woke up to an annoying beep. Draco's watch alarm was still set for six-thirty. I felt him stirring on my stomach and chest to turn off his watch. He figured out I wasn't his bed pretty quick.

"Shit!" he whispered. He sat up and looked around. My eyes were partially open, watching him. He saw me looking at him. "You didn't wake me up last night."

"I know. You needed to rest." Draco didn't say anything to that. He knew it was true. "Did you at least sleep well?" I asked. He nodded.

"I didn't dream. It was the first time in weeks I didn't dream," he admitted. He shook his head. "We've got to go back to our dorms. If Snape sees us down here, we might get in trouble." I nodded in agreement. Draco stood up and turned and held out his hand to me. I took it. "Thank you, again. I don't deserve the way you're treating me."

"Everyone deserves to feel loved," I told him. He looked on the verge of tears again, but this time, Draco Malfoy was smiling at what I had said.

"Thank you. Honestly, thank you, Evie."

That was the first time I had ever heard Draco call me by my name. I was surprised he knew it. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Same time tonight?" I giggled. He grinned a little.

"I actually was going to ask you if you wouldn't mind staying with me again tonight." My giggling stopped. He was actually serious. He wanted me to stay with him, again! How could I say no? I still cared for him.

"Of course." Draco smiled at me. Then he did something I thought he would never do to me. He kissed my cheek. I blushed.

"You are being far too kind to me and I really don't deserve it."

"Stop saying that," I commanded lightly. "If you keep saying you don't deserve it then you're going to believe it one day. Everyone deserves something. You deserve to be taken care of and shown affection right now." Draco smiled a little bit and looked away. His smile quickly faded and his expression darkened.

"If you knew what I was doing you wouldn't be saying that," he said quietly. I didn't really know what to say to that because I didn't know what he was doing every night. "We should probably go back to our dorms before we're missed." I nodded.

I walked toward the door on the right toward the girl's dormitories and looked back when I reached the door to see Draco had already gone. I sighed and made my way to the sixth year's room. Everyone was still asleep. Everyone that was actually sleeping alone anyway. Pansy Parkinson was missing. She hardly ever slept in her own bed. Millicent Bullstrode was in her bed. Tracey Davis was missing as well. I crept toward my own bed and changed into my pajamas quietly. I got into bed and realized how awful I slept the previous night. I fell asleep quicker than I thought I would.

I had no idea what time it was when I woke up, but light was shining through the small windows by the ceiling. I knew it had to be close to ten. I rolled over and saw Millicent and Tracey sitting on Millicent's bed. I could hear them a little bit.

"He was fabulous! You wouldn't think that he would be good in bed as dumb as he is," Tracey was saying. She obviously hooked up with someone the night before. It made me sick to think that she would so willingly sleep with who knows how many different guys regularly. Its one thing if you're in a steady relationship with someone, and another to do it just because.

I didn't open my eyes. I didn't want them to know I could hear them.

"So… How big was he?" I heard Millicent ask.

"Smaller than Blaise but bigger than Draco. Well, it's been a while since I've been with Draco… He's gotten taller so maybe he's grown. But he's a little smaller than Blaise. Not by much though," Tracey told her. I was kind of curious as to who she had been with. The door opened and Pansy came through smiling.

"Morning, girls!" she said cheerfully. She got laid well. Or she found out she wasn't pregnant. Maybe both. I continued to listen. "Blaise was absolutely fantastic last night!"

"Why did you go ahead and do it so soon?" Millicent asked. "You just got out of the hospital wing thinking you were pregnant."

"I wanted to celebrate," Pansy said. "Besides, Blaise always makes sure to use a condom."

"When was the last time you were with Draco?" Tracey asked. Everyone was silent.

"I'm not sure, actually. Last year sometime. Maybe around March or April. Why?" Pansy asked.

"We were just comparing a few of the boys. We were thinking that since Draco grew taller, maybe he's grown a little bigger as well," Tracey explained.

"Oh, well I couldn't tell you. I don't think he's been with anyone for a while. Not since his father got sent away. What's wrong with him these days anyway? I hardly ever see him and whenever I do he looks awful."

"Ask Evie. He was talking to her down by the lake yesterday," Millicent said. I felt a pillow hit me almost immediately. I pulled my legs closer to my body and groaned a little.

"EVIE! Wake up!" Pansy yelled at me.

"What?" I mumbled into the pillow.

"What were you and Draco talking about by the lake yesterday?" she asked.

"None of your business. It had nothing to do with you," I told her as I sat up.

"Tell me what you were talking about!" Pansy almost yelled. I knew her wand would come out soon if I didn't say something. I thought quickly to come up with a reasonable answer.

"He spilled some of the Tentacula venom on my hand in Herbology yesterday. He just was apologizing," I lied. The three girls looked shocked.

"Draco apologized?" Tracey asked.

"Yes. He hadn't meant to and he could tell it hurt, so he apologized."

"He changed over the summer," Pansy said. She shook her head and turned back to her friends. I decided to get out of bed and shower.

It took me longer to get ready than usual. I kept thinking about Draco and what he could have been crying about. By the time I got to the common room to go to the Great Hall, Draco was there reading a Daily Prophet. I wondered if I should talk to him or ignore him. I didn't know if we were friends or not. He saw me. He sent me a small smile and put down the paper.

"You going to the Great Hall?" he asked.

"Yeah," I told him.

"Mind if I come with you?"

"Sure." We started walking to the door together. A few third years looked confused. No one had never seen Draco talk nicely to me, if at all. We walked in silence through the corridor at first. It was little awkward.

"I think I should apologize to you for all the cruel things I've said to you," Draco said suddenly. I stayed quiet. "You're being so nice to me, even though I did some pretty horrible things to you over the years. I feel bad about it. So, I'm sorry." I stopped walking for a second and looked at him. Draco looked so tired. I could see little veins in his neck stick out through the pale, pale skin. His normally clear blue eyes were sad and scared.

"Draco, what happened? You've changed a lot." He looked farther down the corridor.

"The Dark Lord happened. I shouldn't tell you about it. I just want my dad back." Draco's voice choked when he said 'dad'. He had never used that word in front of me. He always said 'father'. Always. I touched his arm again. He looked back at me, about to cry. I slid my hand down to his hand. He gripped it tight. "Thank you," he whispered. I saw a tear falling, but Draco pushed it away and blinked away the rest of his tears. "Shall we?" he said gesturing down the corridor. We started walking. Draco didn't let go of my hand. We walked in silence, hand in hand. We reached the stairs to the Great Hall. Once in the entrance hall, we ran into Harry Potter and his two friends. I never really had anything against them. Hermione Granger and I got along fine. Ron Weasley didn't like me because I was in Slytherin. I didn't blame him.

They saw us together. I became very aware that Draco and I were still holding hands. Weasley smirked at us.

"Looks like Malfoy's got a new bedmate," Weasley said to his friends. Harry smirked and Hermione looked at me. She knew that I wasn't friends with Draco. She and I had been partners a few times in various classes and even though we weren't friends, we talked. I felt Draco's hand leave mine.

"What's it to you?" Draco asked. "Last I checked, you were sleeping alone." Draco said coolly. Ron turned a little pink and continued into the Great Hall. Potter looked at me.

"I'm sure you've seen what he does to girls in the school and from what Hermione's said about you, you're alright. Why would you go and get with a pig-headed git like Malfoy?" He smirked again and followed his two friends into the Great Hall. I was never very good at standing up for myself. I stayed quiet. Draco and I stood there for a moment.

"Do you still want to sit with me?" I asked Draco. "Looks like people are going to talk." He didn't look at me.

"Maybe we shouldn't. People will assume I'm bedding you. You probably don't want that reputation," Draco said. He still wasn't looking at me. I wondered if he was feeling bad again. I just nodded. We entered the Great Hall at the same time. We both sat alone with a good bit of space between us. It wasn't long until Pansy and Blaise came into the Great Hall. She was all over him. They were disgusting. They took the seats across from Draco.

I finished my pumpkin juice and left. I wasn't sure where I wanted to go. Just away. I was so confused. Draco wanted to cry to me, but he didn't want to be seen with me. So I was being used. But I had wanted him to see me for so long, and he finally did. But did I want him to see me as just a shoulder to cry on? I didn't think that he saw me as anything more. But he did apologize for everything he did. Footsteps behind me tore me from my thoughts. I turned a little to see Hermione Granger following me alone. She caught up with me.

"I didn't know you fancied Draco," she said. "You said he didn't even know you." I recalled telling Hermione this just a few days previously.

"I don't really know him, honestly. And we aren't anything. I don't even know if we're friends. And we didn't sleep together," I told Hermione. "It's complicated."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. Hermione was always so nice to me. I suppose that is partly because I never said anything mean to her and actually complimented her on the clever things she said.

"I don't know. He doesn't want anyone knowing what's going on between us. Honestly, I don't even know what it is." She looked at me confused. "We don't talk or anything. He's going through something right now, and he won't talk about it. I was just at the same place he was when it all came tumbling down. I suppose I just comfort him. I don't think that anyone has ever let him just cry before. It seems to help though."

"Cry?" Hermione asked. I knew I shouldn't have said that.

"Don't say anything to your friends, please. I know none of you like him, but I know that if you were in my position and you were talking about Harry or Ron you wouldn't want me to say anything. But yes. I just sort of hug him until he gets it all out." Hermione looked confused. She was probably thinking the same thing I was the first time I saw Draco crying Thursday night. I didn't know what to think, or do. It was so unlike him.

"Well, I hope everything goes alright for you. I know that we aren't really close or anything, but you're the only Slytherin that isn't mean to me. So, if you need anything just come find Harry or me. I'll make sure that he and Ron are kind to you." Hermione smiled at me. I smiled back.

"Thanks," I told her.

"Can I ask you something?" Hermione asked.

"I suppose."

"Why are you nice to me?" Hermione honestly wanted to know.

"I'm not like everyone in Slytherin. I was placed in it because my family has always been in it and it was expected of me. I didn't really know the traits of the house until I was in it. I'm not anything like Slytherins. I just don't see why you have to be mean to someone just because. Or why I'm expected to hate Muggle-borns or half-bloods. To me, magic is magic. Pansy Parkinson is a pure blood, but she's a lousy witch. The whole thing is just ridiculous. Blood status shouldn't matter." Hermione looked relived.

"I never thought I'd hear a Slytherin say 'blood status shouldn't matter'." She laughed a little and smiled again. "Really, if you need anything, just come find me. I know you're limited on friends, so just let me know."

"Hermione!" I heard Weasley call down the corridor. I turned around and saw Weasley and Potter walk toward us. "What the hell are you doing with Malfoy's new toy?" I could feel myself turning red. Anger and embarrassment showed in my face. He had no right to say something like that and he didn't even know what was going on.

"Ron, stop it! You don't know if Evie is sleeping with Malfoy. And honestly, its none of your business," Hermione told Ron. "I think you owe Evie an apology." If a professor had walked by, they would have asked if Hermione had hit Ron just from the look on his face. He didn't say anything. Harry looked between Hermione and I.

"Neither of you have any idea as to what you're talking about so I would appreciate it if you put those rumors to rest," I said quietly. I was surprised I even said it. I turned to Hermione. "Thank you. I probably need to get going, I have class in a few minutes…" Then I remembered it was Saturday. Ron laughed.

"So Malfoy's that good, eh? Got you forgetting what day it is?" Ron laughed at his own words. My wand was out and almost to his neck before he stopped laughing.

"You don't know what the fuck you're talking about, Weasley. And I suggest you stop making fun of me. I'm not sleeping with Draco. You don't know what our relationship consists of. It's none of your business anyway, you prat." Ron backed into the corridor wall next to him. We all turned as we heard hard shoes on the stone floor. Draco was striding toward us.

"Well, well Weasley. Looks like that comment earlier has come back to bite you in the ass." Draco smirked and butterflies erupted in my stomach. God, I loved the way he did that.

"Piss off, Malfoy," Ron spat at him. He tried to leave, but I pushed him back. "What the hell are you gonna do to me?" Ron looked scared.

"I'll let you go when you apologize," I told him.

"What did Weasel say to you?" Draco asked me. I looked at him. I couldn't tell if he actually looked concerned, or if he just wanted a chance to ruin Ron's day.

"He's just being a disgusting pig. Keeps insisting that we're sleeping together," I told him. I blushed a little.

"Jealous?" Draco's eyes flicked to Ron's. A small smirk crept onto Draco's face. He reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Come on," he told me. "If he bothers you again I'll take care of it." Draco glared at Ron and Harry again. Hermione stopped us.

"I'll make sure Ron apologizes and I'll make sure Harry gets it through to him that you aren't like everyone else," Hermione whispered in my ear. I smiled at her a little and let Draco lead me away.


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you okay?" Draco asked as we walked away.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I still had adrenaline rushing through my veins. I had never stood up for myself like that before.

"What did Granger say to you?" Draco looked at me now.

"She just told me that she was going to make Ron apologize. She and I are on good terms and we get along well. She found me and asked what was going on because she knew I don't really have any friends. Then Weasley and Potter showed up. Weasley is such a git. Potter didn't really do anything. Hermione tried to get Weasley to apologize before you showed up." Draco furrowed his eyebrows.

"Well, Granger obviously isn't very convincing." Draco looked back down the hallway and saw the trio about to turn a corner. We were alone after the three were gone. We stood there for a minute. Neither one of us knew what to say. Draco looked down at his shoes. I moved a few steps back to lean against the wall. Draco looked back up at me. He studied my face. I wondered if he was trying to memorize it for something.

"What?" I asked. Draco just shook his head. He continued to look at me. I could feel a blush working its way to my cheeks. Draco smirked.

"Got you all worked up now?" He asked. I glared at him.

"No. I'm just finding it odd that you're staring at me and I feel like I'm under a microscope. I'm more embarrassed than anything," I told Draco. It was partially true. I was worked up, but I also felt like he was trying to figure out what species of plant I was or something. I didn't enjoy it. Draco leaned against the wall next to me. I got the familiar butterflies again. I could feel his arm pressing gently against mine and had to force my heart rate back down. A group of third year Ravenclaw girls turned the corner closest to us. Draco moved a few inches away. My heart rate returned to normal. A couple girls looked at Draco, admiring his blonde hair and the way it was falling into his face. I could see the mischievousness in Draco's eyes. He rubbed one hand through his hair and looked at the girls. One blushed. Draco smirked and winked. I had to work at keeping myself from laughing. I watched as Draco turned to lean on his shoulder facing me.

"The young ones are fun to tease," Draco said. His smirk seemed to reach his eyes. They looked warmer than usual. He really enjoyed taunting people. I grinned a little back and shook my head.

"You're an ass," I told him. He laughed.

"I've got a damn sexy one too." The butterflies came back. Draco moved a little bit closer. He moved his hand up to my face. I felt his fingers trace under my eye, then he held out his hand. "You had an eyelash," he explained. "Make a wish." I looked into his eyes and blew the eyelash away. "What did you wish for?"

"If I tell you it wont come true!" I teased. I wanted to tell him, but at the same time I really didn't. I had wished that soon, he'd see me. He wouldn't just see me as the girl he knew he could cry to. We heard footsteps coming up the hall from the far side. I peeked around Draco to see who it was. Pansy and Millicent. Draco had turned around too.

"You better go," Draco told me. I knew he was right. "They'd have too many questions."

"Millicent saw us together yesterday by the lake, she's already asked me about it," I said. Draco looked worried. "I told her that you spilled come Tentacula venom on me and came to apologize. I couldn't really think of anything else." He nodded.

I turned to leave and heard Pansy calling for Draco. He turned around and we walked apart.

"What were you doing with _her_?" Pansy asked.

"That is none of _your_ business," Draco said coldly. I swear I could feel the glares from Millicent and Pansy as I rounded the corner.

The rest of my day passed by slowly. I spent a lot of time in the library studying. Hermione and I sat together most of the time going over notes. We had no reason to dislike each other, especially after what had happened earlier in the corridor. We didn't talk about that though. I was nervous and tense. I was excited about getting back to the common room, but knew that if I went there right after dinner I'd be waiting for close to six hours for Draco to come in.

"What are you doing after this?" I whispered to Hermione.

"Probably going to dinner," she whispered back.

"Mind if I join you?" Hermione shook her head and looked back down at her notes, making sure she translated the runes correctly.

After studying, Hermione and I walked together to the Great Hall. I felt stressed about being with her at the Gryffindor table. We were far enough away from others that we knew that most students wouldn't bother us. Weasley and Potter soon joined the table, across from where Hermione and I sat eating. I pulled out my runes book and set it out on the table to discuss with Hermione. Her friends watched as we talked and ate slowly. I kept one eye on the door to see if Draco was ever going to come in. He never did. Hermione left with me up to the library again after dinner. We were going to work on our Defense Against the Dark Arts essays.

Hermione left after about an hour. I stayed behind to do as much as I could before going back to the common room. At a quarter to ten, I was ushered out of the library by Madam Pince. I headed down to the common room instead.

When I arrived, my roommates were sitting on the floor in a circle. I wondered what they were doing, but didn't bother to ask. I went straight to the study tables on the far side of the room.

"Evie! Where are you going?" Pansy asked. I stopped and turned to face her.

"To study. I'm almost done with my Defense paper and thought I'd just go ahead and finish it tonight," I told the girls.

"Oh pish, tosh. Come play with us! We're playing a sort of truth or dare," Tracey called to me as I set my books down.

"No, that's okay. I don't really want to tonight." They called to me again but I tried to ignore them. Soon, I was absorbed in my study material once again and no longer heard them. It was midnight when I finally finished my essay. I looked around and only one first year that had fallen asleep while studying remained. I walked around the common room a few times before sitting down on the sofa. I had only been waiting for a minute or two before the portrait opened and Draco was being ushered in my Professor Snape.

"I don't want to catch you out of bed this late again. Whatever you're doing can wait until the morning. Get up early if you must, but you can't stay out past curfew," Snape was saying to Draco. Snape hadn't seen me. People had a nasty habit of never seeing me.

"Yes, Professor," was all Draco said. Snape nodded curtly before exiting the room. Draco sighed and looked around. He saw me sitting at the far end of the room and hurried over. He sat down on the couch and breathed slowly. He reached his hand out so it rested on my thigh. He squeezed it lightly and closed his eyes. Draco's fingers were massaging my leg ever so slightly, but enough to get me hot. My breath caught in my throat and I closed my eyes. Draco didn't notice. Instead of letting him continue his slow torture, I took his hand and held it still.

"Are you alright?" I asked him quietly. He shook his head. "What happened?" Draco shook his head again. I didn't push him any farther. He obviously didn't want to talk about his problems. Draco put his head in his free hand. His shoulders shook slightly as a silent sob tore through his body. His fingers squeezed mine as he leaned into me a little bit.

"I'm a failure. I' m an absolute failure," Draco whispered. I squeezed his hand tighter.

"No, you're not." He forced a dark laugh and shook his head. He looked up at the other side of the room.

"You have no idea what I'm supposed to do. Trust me, I've failed. The Dark Lord is not pleased." I worked to keep my face neutral. Everyone knew that Draco's father was a supporter of the Dark Lord, but no one really knew how close his family was. After that admission I assumed they were a lot closer than we all thought. "I shouldn't have told you that. Please don't mention…" Draco's words trailed off as he looked away.

"Draco, you know I wouldn't say anything to anyone. I've kept my promise so far, I intend to keep it still," I reassured Draco. His expression somewhat relaxed as he faced me once again.

"You have no idea how much this means to me."

"I know." Draco let a watery grin creep to his face before wiping away tears quickly. He looked around and saw the first year sleeping over his book on one of the study tables.

"Is he really asleep?" Draco asked. Worry replaced the near-calm features on Draco's face.

"I think so, he hasn't moved in about two hours." I let go of Draco's hand and ventured over to the young boy. I poked him on the arm softly. He didn't stir. I shook him slightly and he groaned. "Hey, it's late. You should probably head up to your bed and get some better sleep," I told the boy. He opened his eyes blearily. "Did you hear me?" The boy nodded. "Do you need help getting up or anything?" He shook his head and sat up a little. His book was wet with drool and some of the ink had smudged onto his face. "Oh, dear. Here, let me help you." I grabbed my wand off of the couch behind me and waved it over the book and across the boy's face. He was clean and through the boy's dormitory door leaving Draco and I alone again.

"You are almost too kind for your own good," Draco told me. There was a slight hint of humor in his voice. "You should have left him. He'd learn not to fall asleep in his books again."

"But he had ink and text all over his face. He'd look moronic in the morning."

"Exactly. Then he wouldn't forget to go up to bed when he got tired in the future." Draco chuckled quietly and stood up. "Speaking of bed, I should probably go. I'm actually very tired. I haven't had a good nights' sleep in such a long time."

"Alright. Are you doing any better?" I asked tentatively. I wasn't sure if he was okay with me asking that quite yet.

"Not really, but you're helping more than you know." The answer caught me off guard. Draco was rather private. He didn't like to talk about his problems. I couldn't help but smile.

"Well, if you need anything, you know where I am." Draco nodded. I watched him go through the door that led to the boy's dorms. I wondered when the next time I'd see him would be before taking myself up to bed.


End file.
